Scamraiders received a envelope about a week ago. The envelope contained a heartfelt copy of a letter Ms Rachel sent to sociopath Dr John Siebert. Rachel was abused, harassed, sexually molested and ripped off by sicko-thief Siebert. Rachel reported Siebert to the Authorities, and she confirmed that Wacko Siebert is a sex pervert and a pedophile. Rachel has confirmer that she was extorted by Siebert and Kenneth V Gomez, sexually abused by both men and accuses Gomez of being a ‘thug’ and ‘a asshole’ in letters we have published and that are available in Scamraiders archives.

Now Rachel has come forward again wit a letter confirming that Gomez is stalking her. Siebert has hired Gomez and his thug cheating lawyer Joseph M Burke Esq to extort, intimidare and abuse anyone who has reported Siebert for his molesting sexually his patients and other victims.

Siebert has been exposed as a pervert and a sex abuser resulting in Siebert’s being fired from $ NYC Hospitals and evicted out of 4 or 5 medical offices.

Now Scamraiders will be Posting Rachel’s current complaint letter on Scams Inc’s Homepage, Monday May 7,2011 with the envelope for all to read.

Rachel among other things correctly reports that pervert sex-vulture Siebert:

“Leaves a trail of pain everywhere Siebert goes.” and “Siebert was born without a soul”

Meanwhile Rachel is being ‘stalked’ by according to Rachel by lawyer Kenneth V Gomez Esq. Scams Inc. has no further proof of the charges about Gomez, but based on Gomez history of abuses, lies, threats, extorting and frauds, anything is possible.

Possibly Mr Gomez would post his position and response to Rachel’s charges?

The Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force held a press conference on June 17th to announce the highly successful results of Operation Stolen Dreams, the largest nationwide takedown of mortgage scammers ever.

The Task Force is an interagency group, set up in November 2009 by the current administration, linking members of state and local law enforcement with over 20 federal agencies, 94 US attorneys offices and regulatory authorities in an effort to specifically target financial fraud.

Attorney General Eric Holder, Federal Bureau of Investigations director Robert Mueller and Urban Development Inspector General Kenneth M. Donohue stood with other task members to tout the impressive returns of their first coordinated effort to fight mortgage fraud, Operation Stolen Dreams.

Since its inception on March 1st of this year, the aggressive effort to investigate and prosecute housing financial crimes both criminal and civil has seen almost 2,000 defendants stand before the court to answer for scams in the area of $2.5 billion. The nearly 500 convictions and civil actions have also managed to recover over $200 million from the crooks.

The scope of these crimes is quite staggering. As befits the melting pot that is the United States the players, both victims and perpetrators, in these scams cover a wide range. Here are some examples of the scams busted by Operation Stolen Dreams:

LOAN MODIFICATION SCHEME IN DULUTH, MINNESOTA

A former mortgage broker was sentenced to 270 months in federal prison for stealing some $400,000 who believed they were simply refinancing their homes. In fact, Michael
Fiorito was reselling the homes without his clients’ knowledge.

Though he promised the victim’s home equity checks, Mr. Fiorio was proven to have physically intercepted those checks and deposited them. Some victim’s were forcibly
intimidated into endorsing the checks over to the criminal.

REVERSE MORTGAGE SCHEME TARGETING THE ELDERLY

Two Atlanta men plead guilty in April to charges that they were involved in a scheme that profited from the corruption of a program designed to assist seniors by obtaining cash
equity for their homes or providing funds for the purchase of new
housing.

By faking down payments and using stolen identities to inflate the appraisals, the men were able to create false equity of the homes in the hundred of thousands of
dollars. After securing the reverse mortgage loans they would then
divert the funds to themselves and the initial homeowners would
receive no assistance.

COUNTRYWIDE SETTLES FOR $108 MILLION

Even the big boys came under the microscope as the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice’s US Trustee Program were able to wrangle a $108 million
global settlement from two Countrywide mortgage servicing companies.

According to the June 17th press release, the companies were accused of inflating fees “charged to cash-strapped homeowners whose mortgages Countrywide was
servicing, made false or unsupported claims about amounts owed by
borrowers in bankruptcy, and charged fees to borrowers that were not
disclosed until after the borrower’s bankruptcy when attempts were
made to collect the fees.”

Overcharged bankruptcy debtors and others falling victim before Countrywide was purchased by Bank of America will be eligible for payouts from the $108 million redress
fund. Going forward Countrywide must provide borrowers in bankruptcy
with adequate notice as to charges and the company will be under
further scrutiny as their internal procedures for ensuring the
accuracy of data used in servicing homeowner loans is now subject to
verification by a third party overseer.

HATIAN-AMERICANS’ IDENTITIES STOLEN IN MIAMI MORTGAGE FRAUD

Two defendants were arrested and charged in Miami for a scam that managed to procure some $4.4 million in fraudulent mortgage loans.

One defendant advertised herself to the Haitian-American community as an assistance provider for immigration issues and a manager of government-sponsored housing programs. Those
who visited her for assistance were asked to provide their personal
information, this included names, social security numbers and copies
of driver’s licenses.

The two defendants then used this information to purchase property without the victim’s knowledge or approval. After the properties were closed, the defendants would
then file false quit-claim deed transferring title back to a company
the defendant’s owned. By the time the scheme was busted, they had
created almost $2 million in losses to various lenders, and caused
countless financial headaches for folks who had come to them in good
faith seeking assistance.

TIPS FROM THE FBI TO HELP AVOID MORTGAGE FRAUD:

— If you want to purchase or sell a home, get referrals for real estate or mortgage professionals. Don’t stop there though, check with state and local regulatory agencies to
ensure the validity of their license.

— Do your own footwork to find out what similar properties in the area have sold for or for how much they are being listed.

— Don’t let anyone talk you into making a false statement on a loan application. Not your realtor, not the mortgage broker – no one.

— Don’t sign blank documents or any document containing blank lines. Read and review before signing, and if you don’t understand the documents hire an attorney to review
them for you. It will be money well-spent.

LINKS:

If you think you’ve been victimized, please contact your local FBI field office:
http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm

Want to learn more about the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force? Then visit:
www.StopFraud.gov

(TAKE A GOOD HARD LOOK AT HOW MILLIONS IN LIENED FUNDS ARE SCAMMED FROM MEDICARE-MEDICAID IN NY COURTHOUSES)

Healthcare fraud and Medicare fraud cost the American public billions. The schemes are from A-to-Z – and the most despicable are caused by crooked and corrupt doctors, hospitals and pharmacies and medical suppliers.

Even lawyers and inept lazy and corrupt courts play a roll – believe it or not, Medicare has a lien on any recovery obtained from medical malpractice cases and settlements for what ever Medicare paid out. Sadly, lawyers and many derelict courts ignore these liens and approve med-mal settlements, circumventing Medicare and it is in the millions in NYC alone.

Healthcare insurance and Medicare cost us far too much, because all honest citizens are paying for the fraud and corruption arising out of Medicare and healthcare corruption and scams.

George Pavia Esq. a well-documented professional swindler and expert at the use of ‘buffers’ to hide behind, in 2007, recruited front-man Kenneth Gomez Esq. for this Pavia concocted heist. The take? —over $230,000 of liened Medicare funds. The history of Pavia is a long and twisted paper trail of corruption, fraud, bribery, tax evasion and perjury (See: Scamraiders’ Archives). George Pavia’s psychiatrist, Arnold Hutchnecker, before his death, revealed that George suffers from delusions of grandeur coupled with an underlying inferiority complex. That said, Jim Couri describes George Pavia as a spiteful, greedy, lecher who turned to retaliation and extortion when Jim uncovered George’s corruption and tax evasions involving the Pavias’ townhouse at 18 E. 73rd St, NY by revealing the Pavias’ willful circumvention of Rent Stabilization.

In 2006, corkscrew George learned that Jim suffered from melanoma cancer and that Jim had retained council to pursue a case due to the misdiagnosis of his cancer and associated malpractice claims. It appears that George by 2006 had made his ‘pact’ with JSC Madden, the judge in NY Unified Court, who Pavia compromised in order to rid himself of Jim Couri and his Rent Stabilization Rights. Even though George had Judge Madden successfully taint the jury in the rental trial, it seems that George’s anger and revenge against Jim continued on, and George began his campaign to grab for himself, and his ‘boys’, Jim’s medical malpractice funds. Pavia joined forces with an ex-associate of Jim’s, John Siebert MD, along with Joe Burke Esq. and Kenneth Gomez Esq.

By the time Pavia began his med-mal scam, Jim had filed his cancer misdiagnosis lawsuit and lawyers Aaronson Rappaport Feinstein & Deutsch Esqs, Phil Lerner, and John Hunt (Marion Polovy) had appeared for defendants. Pavia, Siebert, and Burke had the beginnings of a ‘perfect storm’ for their next swindle. Siebert, a doctor who has been sued frequently and represented by Aaronson began his dirty work. Phil Lerner of Aaronson Esqs knowing of the Statutory Medicare liens, kept demanding Jim’s signing of Documents stating that Jim knew of no liens. Lerner was clearly bought-off by Pavia, as was Hunt/Polovy, as these demands were further ‘mirrored’ by defense lawyer John Hunt. Both lawyers were supposedly acting for themselves, defendants, and Insurers MLMI and PRI. Cash is a tempting incentive to engage in corruption. Jim’s Case should have been a slam dunk for Jim’s claims, as among other things, a NY State Department of Health’s investigation all but confirmed negligence on the part of defendants and a mislabeling of Jim’s pathology samples (the pathology doctor was Eduardo Zappi-Dermopath-Labs). (The dermatologist, Robert Berger MD, was represented by Hunt/Polovy). However, the supposed ‘Settlement’ was carefully manipulated and therefore ripe for theft by these co-conspirators.

Eventually, Jim uncovered that George Pavia and Kenneth Gomez, as part of the swindle, had provided suspect documents to Hunt in order to discredit Jim. The scam began to gel in or about September 2008. Although at this time Jim was in cancer care in California and not aware of Medicare Statutory Liens on all the Med-mal recoveries, which are up to the amount of ‘Conditional Medicare Payments’ made by Medicare related to the money paid by Medicare and related to all claims &/or injury. Surely all lawyers know of these Medicare liens and the law of notification to MEDICARE SECONDARY PAYER RECOVERY CONTRACTOR, (MSPRC). Curiously, John Hunt/Polovy and Aaronson/Lerner demanded documents from Jim in contravention to Medicare Laws and mandates, stating that there were no liens. Jim became suspicious, refused to sign these bogus documents. It wouldn’t be until after the Court rendered its decision that Jim learned of Medicare Statutory Liens, which in his case was and is about $200,000.00—still due to MSPRC—-now doubled, by Statute, and due to the Pavia-Gomez, et-al frauds.

The greed and corruption further unfolded as the assigned judge, JSC Abdus- Saalam, a judge who supposedly disposes of thousands of Med-Mal cases in the Unified Courts New York County, never inquired about the obvious Medicare liens in Jim’s Case before her. Not knowing at that time about the requirement of Medicare Statutory liens, not only did Jim wonder why the lawyers insisted he sign false statements on documents, he didn’t realize that the judge should have also inquired about Medicare liens. Undaunted, and orchestrated by George Pavia, JSC Abdus-Saalam sadly turned her back on Medicare Liens and Jim’s wife’s Liens and issued Orders that in contravention to filed Liens and the Law, permitted Pavia–Gomez, to make off with Jim’s $230,000.00, circumventing Legally Secured Creditors, including Medicare. Interestingly, Judge Abdus Saalam within approximately two weeks after signing her Order giving away Jim’s and Medicare’s money, was elevated to the Appellate Division 1st Dept. A coincidence? Anyone observing this charade can wonder— How can this happen? More significantly, how can this continue to happen in New York County Unified Courts—- for years constantly circumventing Medicare’s First Liens? Are these New York Unified Courts and Judges ignorant of the Laws or are they complicit in scamming Medicare for millions? And why does no one, up to now, launch a full-blown investigation into these Courthouse frauds on Medicare and MSPRC?

Gomez is a proven perjurer – Jim Couri and his accolades have been recently written about by many newspapers with glowing reports and reported on many TV stations – all recently. Gomez, George Pavia, sex maniac Siebert and crook partner Joe Burke, Esq have interfered and begged the Gannett papers to redact rogue Siebert’s name, reported as as a sex predator.

Gomez, Siebert and corkscrew Pavia conned NY Times’ John Eligon to write a article without advising the Times that they are the targets of sex crimes, pedophilia, Medicare fraud, gift tax evasion, bribery, extortion, thefts of Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield funds, Siebert’s being fired by NYU/Langone Medical Center for sex rapes of patients at NYU, insurance fraud, and narcotics abuses

Kenneth Gomez, Esq. Gomez didn’t tell the NY Times that he is a hired pimp covering up Siebert’s under investigation by NY State Dept of Health, due to over twenty victims filing charges against Siebert with law enforcement for patient sex molestings, drug abuse and intimidation. Gomez does not deny Pavia and Siebert/Burke/Gomez bribery, tax evasion by Pavia and Siebert and extortion and threats directed to Jim Couri, all well documented. We have tape recordings, affidavits and other proof of Siebert, Pavia, Gomez and Joe Burke’s bribery, tampering, sex crimes and extortion. Gomez wants a reward for his transparent rants on his one-man band-wagon with a busted wheel, yet no denials of facts or Gomez use of ‘peep-shows.’

Now back to George Pavia. Not only did ‘cheat-em-beat-em’ George steal Jim’s money involving his cancer illness, Pavia stole from Medicare, MSPRC with the scheming aid of defendants’ Insurance lawyers, John Siebert MD, Kenneth Gomez, and possibly the Court. Remember, Judge Madden, ‘working in the wings’, and all of the Unified Court Judges are ‘pals’—‘all for one and one for all’. This scam was too pat and too easy. It simply can’t be that a presiding Judge repeatedly signs Orders directing the disbursement of millions without being sure that Medicare Liens are satisfied. After all, these Medicare Liens are Statutory and Courts are supposed to follow the Laws. But do they? Stated otherwise, this ‘theft’ was a set-up, manipulated by greedy and corrupt George Pavia. Medicare fraud is a very serious matter. Please see the published Mandates of Lawyers and Insurers, etc., regarding Medicare and MSPRC, here and below. Medicare maintains its lien until paid. Failure to advise MSPRC and conversion of Medicare funds results in suit by the US Attorney seeking Double Damages and possible criminal charges if willful. Gomez, Pavia, Siebert and Joe Burke all know the law. They compromised many and formed alliances with Hunt, Lerner and others to rob Jim’s money—except they in their greed failed to deal with Medicare who has a lien of about $200,000.00 on this settlement. Now Pavia and cohorts will be chased for more than $400,000.00 plus damages, and possibly worse. Further, the negligence in the Unified Courts and the continued willful circumventing of MSPRC Liens involving tens of millions must be fully investigated. How many millions have been stolen from Medicare via the Courthouse? It is time to help the law and not the thieves. This is why Medicare is ‘broke’—-CORRUPTION, and why we the public, and our healthcare are suffering the consequences.

George Pavia and his wife Antonia and bag man Kenneth Gomez ‘cut up’ the supposed settlement, $230,000, one thing is for sure, George Pavia is ‘tighter than a crabs ass in the sunshine’, Gomez is bust-out and broke, so the paying Leona Helmsley and company $6,000 for a phony judgment against Jim and within a couple of days pimp-bag-man Gomez walks into the unified court and by fraud and corruption the court gives Gomez and company over $180,000 for Pavias $6000 and the court ignored secured parties and proper UCC filings. Then this same judge was elevated to the appellate division, a reward for a $230,000 score. By the use of court corruption, scams and fixes a-la George Pavia, thug Gomez and other courthouse scallywags? Scamraiders has the paper trail and remember, Pavia is a cheap tight-wad, nothing is going out of Pavia’s pocket and it ain’t going to happen unless the fix was in -a profit of over 30 times in a few days- this is how courthouse larceny,and greed is done, black-robed bandits with a pen and immunity and we find that this grand-theft was based on the phony and ‘set-up’ fixed decisions geared to rob Medicare and Jim and turn these monies over to ‘bag-man–dead-beat’ Gomez for distribution to the co-conspirators in and out of the bowels of the unified courthouse.

Gomez obtained these funds from MLMI & PRI insurance companies,implementing a fraudulent scheme,deposited these sums in his attorney accounts & paid out to his co-conspirators Pavia, Siebert, Burke, and Helmsley medicare liened funds.

On information and belief, lawyers acting for MLMI & PRI were part of the RICO-style medicare scam and defrauded Jim as well to cram down the settlement & not divulging the over $200,000.00 in medicare liens. the matter involving these culprits is willful theft and will have grave consequences—- as well as double damages being collected from Gomez, Pavia, Siebert, Burke, and Helmsley, all of whom know the law & stole from Medicare.

Sure it was Madden to the rescue -again- and a few calls to a couple of her pals in black robes in the courthouse and behold a robbery better than Willy Sutton and John Dillinger combined and with the guise of justice in a brown paper bag. Jim’s and Medicare’s $230k gets ‘deep-sixed’ and ‘cut-up’ except these ostrich corrupt rogue judges and referees have violated the law we believe so this ‘dirty-money’ and disdain for the laws and US Constitution will bode poorly for these charlatans to be sure armed with the proceeds of mother-in-law’s home stolen by George after screwing the IRS. Corkscrew George Pavia thinks he is smart, but the truth is he is a well known fraud, a corrupt lecherous tax thief perjurer, who is a proved phony and a front for the mob, including jailbird Ted Kohl, living off moneys that he rooked from others and from his in-laws and the Internal Revenue Service, we at Scamraiders know and have exhibited proof that Pavia and his wife Antonia are forgers, perjurers and corrupt. As the New York DHCR, the department of buildings and the NYC ECB court all confirm that the Pavias are perjurers, and forgers and all covered up by kangaroo-court Madden -we wonder why?- and by the way, while all this railroading and highway-robbery orchestrated by ‘lecher-outlaw-facist George Pavia’, judge Madden is at it again ‘to the fixers George/Antonia Pavia’s rescue’, the Pavias needed ‘protection’ and insulation for this orchestrated theft of a quarter million by pulling strings in the courthouse using pimp-bag-man Gomez so body-guard Madden issues a fast and furious order directing that the Pavias can not be sued without her permission…not bad!!!

The Pavias, with the aid of black-robed Madden and associates, rips off with a series of transparent decisions issued by Madden’s pals, manipulating secured parties UCC laws, laws re judgments and worse so that a fortune is robbed without a gun, a clever maneuver for many, but we have been on to theses greedy and malicious corrupt villains. Madden condoned the Pavias perjury, threats, extortion and worse, then George the pig literally and physically attacks and threatens Jim in the presence of others, robs Jim and Medicare and the Pavias can not be sued without Madden’s ‘ok’. Hey, this is the ‘perfect storm’ commit grand larceny, threats and extortion with the help of the unified courthouse. A stacked deck? If you think otherwise, the good fairy and tinker-bell are on the way. It’s a courthouse and a cesspool of fraud, fixes and corruption, but from greed and corruption comes mistakes and money has paper-trails as do phones, etc. Who do these scoundrels think they are kidding?

See Scamraiders for more and up-coming exposes of the Pavia and other courthouse fixes, bullying, ambushes, threats, corruption and conversion, including the Pavias, others and Dr John Siebert’s defrauded taxes, rapes of patients, thefts, retaliation, set-ups, judicial abuses and deceptions, thefts of Medicare liened funds, tampering and frauds.

Dr John Siebert, disgraced, convicted sex pervert, thief, and insurance swindler, is now the subject of a Medicaid and Medicare investigation for engaging in Medicaid fraud, filing false Documents in a scheme to defraud the Insurer and Medicaid-Insured Patients.

Siebert has previously been exposed at Hearings at NYU-Langone Hospital for defrauding Empire Blus-Cross-Blue Shield in a scheme of forging Insurance Claim Forms of Siebert Patients including Diane Kleiman. Siebert in concert with his then office manager Nelsa Garcia engaged in massive thefts from Insurers while at NYU Langone until Siebert was fired and kicked of NYU Faculty. Thereafter Siebert was fired and evicted out of Lenox Hill Hospital, Manhattan Eye and Ear Hospital and % Medical Offices in NYC, all for Siebert’s sex abuses, perverted acts, Insurance thefts-and narcotics abuses.

Siebert in concert with his corrupt lawyers Russo and Burke Esqs and Joseph M Burke Esq are now scheming to defraud Medicaid and Patients and have been caught and are now under scrutiny by Federal and State Authorities. Siebert has been ‘tarred-and -feathered’ out of NYC, disgraced. Scams Inc hears from Informants that Siebert’s Medical License is in the balance, and subject to being terminated by the NY State Department of Health for Siebert’s wicked acts of Sex molesting of Patients, Insurance thefts, Malpractice, frauds and acts of extortion and threats of Siebert Victim Patients.

We have been informed by victims that Siebert (with the complicity of Joseph M Burke Esq) repeatedly ‘double-dipped’ by accepting Medicaid assignments and then schemed to rob Patients by taking more money from Siebert victims and defrauding the Medicare-Medicaid System.

Now Siebert and Burke are committing yet more Frauds on the Courts and victim Barbara Paolucci in a Theft of Ms Paolucci’s $25,000.00 that Siebert swindled this victim into posting although Siebert grabbed the money from Medicaid—–long ago.

Siebert has been removed as a accepted Medicaid-Medicare Surgeon we are advised, and now Siebert is being investigated as a criminal engaging in Medicaid Insurance fraud, aided by Joseph M Burke Esq–desperate criminals now on the run—–stay tuned

Social networks like Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Linkedin and Twitter have been around for years, but only recently have they reached the tipping point of media saturation and shown up the general public’s radar. As with all things well-trafficked there are plenty of individuals and companies who will do their best to use these sites to fill their own coffers via morally questionable means.

Just this year social networks popularity has actually passed that of personal email. It’s the fourth most popular activity on the web. The time folks spend on social networking sites already accounts for 10% of all the time spent on the internet, and that time spent rate is growing at a clip 3% faster than the growth rate of the internet as a whole.

Social networking sites provide a micro-society. You keep in touch with friends, meet strangers, show pictures, share links to hot pop culture trends and play games. As with any society, the bad guys are lurking there too, just beneath the surface. Here are some of the ways they will try to scam you.

STOLEN IDENTITIES

There are plenty of ways a scammer can steal the identity of a social network member and then pose as that person. They do it by setting up phony pages that direct a person to re-enter their user name and password. A bogus email might direct them to re-enter their info. They could have set up a bogus wireless connection and then thrown up a page asking the user to re-enter the information. However they go about it, once the hacker has those two items, the user name and password, they have the ability to log onto the social networking site as that person freely.

Once they do so, there are a number of different ways they can take advantage of those who know the victim.

There have been reports of hackers posing as soldiers. They contact their grandparents asking for money to fix a broken car so they can get back home.

There have been numerous cases of con artists with access to genuine accounts who use the chat feature. These chats are a means for real-time dialogue via text. They will chat their friends claiming to be stuck in a foreign country and requesting they wire money to them immediately.

Money is not always the root of all evil. The news was inundated last year with the story of a mother in Missouri who created a fake social networking account and used it to cyber-bully a young female rival of her daughter’s. The young girl who was harassed eventually committed suicide.

GAMES ARE NOT ALL FUN AND GAMES

A recent trend in social networking sites are users who participate in online games through the sites. Facebook offers games such as Mafia Wars, Farmville and Restaurant City. These interactive games encourage members to get their friends to join and in doing so are spreading quickly. Farmville alone boasts 63 million users. Recently the games have come under fire as being nothing more than entertaining facades that hide basic cash-grab scams and other shady practices.

The biggest name in social gaming, Zynga, gets over one-third of its revenue from its questionable “commercial offers” as well as lead-generation systems.

The commercial offers come in many different forms, but all of them are shady.

The games offer currency, in-game money to be used to succeed in the game, for filling out IQ tests. After the test has been filled out, you are asked to provide a cell phone number so that they can text the user the results of their test. Entering this number is about the dumbest thing one can do though, as the fine print (sometimes even located on a different page altogether and nearly illegible) states that providing your number also signs you up for a monthly fee of $9.99 charged to your cell phone bill.

Some ads, which again add to the money used in the game, are similarly set up for horoscopes. You fill in the information, provide your cell number, and the results are sent to you. Of course, you aren’t aware you will be getting charged up to $10 for the service, or that it will recur monthly until you have it removed. At least you still be getting a horoscope though, the IQ test charges you monthly without even providing a service.

Children are being given cell phones at very young ages these days. They are also more likely to play these games, and fill out the surveys for money and then ask to be texted the results. There are numerous stories of parents who missed the small monthly charges on the cell phone bills, until years later, at which point they have paid hundreds of dollars for a useless service.

Another bogus practice offers in-game money if you sign up to receive a free learning CD. Users are told they need only pay $10 shipping to receive the free gift. The fine print, again on a completely separate page, then states that you will actually be getting the full set of CDs for over $180, which will be billed unless they are returned within a certain number of days.

Mike Arrington at TechCrunch estimates that Facebook might be taking as much as $50million annually from Zygna alone. Although there has been outrage about these practices, led by the vocal Arrington himself, and a class action lawsuit is pending, the amount of money these corporations stand to lose will not be let go of so easily.

Facebook and Zygna have both claimed to have severed business relations with these types of snake-oil companies. As of last week one ad provider was coming under fire and there website still listed Facebook and MySpace as clients.

The latest controversy, as reported by NBC Bay Area online, was for an offer for more virtual in-game money for filling out a survey. This survey did not take the user’s money, but asked them questions about their age, where they lived and thoughts on health care reform. The survey was for a company called Get Health Reform Right. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so much a survey as a red herring and a front for health insurance companies and health maintenance organizations.

Upon completion, the “survey” results in an email being sent to the user’s congressional representative that implied support of the current health care system and took pot shots at ideas such as public options or single payer healthcare. The survey’s true purpose was to figure out where you live so that it could forward the following message to your appropriate representative:

“I am concerned a new government plan could cause me to lose the employer coverage I have today. More government bureaucracy will only create more problems, not solve the ones we have.”

By the time the game player’s realize the survey’s true purpose, its’ too late. Gambit is the company responsible for managing this offer between GHRR and the social networking game players. As of December 9th, 2009 they still listed Facebook and MySpace as clients on their website.

Social networking is great way to reconnect with old friends, keep in touch with family and even meet new people. That is the networking aspect really working in the new technological age. But with any new trend, there will be those who exploit it for less than admirable means. So feel free to link in, but be careful too.

There is a growing new trend in identity and account theft for those who do their business online whether personal and professional. They are referred to as Evil Twin attacks. The colorful name sounds like something right out of a horror movie, which is appropriate since those unlucky enough to fall victim to this scam could easily find themselves living in a nightmare.

Wireless networks, and our growing dependence on their availability, are at the heart of these Evil Twin attacks. If you were out and about and wanted to log onto the internet from a laptop, you’d need to find a wireless network. Initially they were offered for small fees at places like coffee shops, bookstores and hotel lobbies; after paying a nominal fee the user would be provided with a password. Logging in was a breeze and the whole enterprise was safe and secure. Recently, however, the trend is to free wireless hotspots.

Last year saw a dramatic increase in wireless network usage. Wi-Fi Planet recently reported on the growth, noting that inter-city travel venues, such as hotels and airports, saw 28% growth through the end of 2008. The year-on-year growth number for train stations and ferries was a whopping 79%. Wireless connections in public places more than tripled in 2008 with most sessions lasting up to three hours.

In 2009 the numbers are expected to jump exponentially, driven by the growing popularity of next generation telephones, specifically the iphone and its smartphone competitors. Whether connecting to the internet, checking email or playing games, most of the special features on these phones are predicated on data being sent and received via these wireless networks. As their popularity grows, so too does usage of free wireless networks.

Mobile devices using wireless hotspots also grew 79% in the first half of 2009, according to a survey conducted by wireless media company JiWire as reported in iphone.tmcnet.com. Their findings show that in addition to checking emails and surfing the net, 38% make an online purchase during their sessions. Of these users, 40% are in management positions who are business decision makers, and 44% work in small to mid-sized companies.

These numbers point to a growing target for industrious internet scammers, and the Evil Twin attacks are the newest tool they are perfecting.

The way an Evil Twin attack works is pretty simple. The hacker physically sets up shop in an area where free wireless access is provided. It could be a café, airport lounge, student community area or hotel lobby, you name it. Using a laptop and a wireless card, they can create their own access point and make it appear legitimate by giving it a name similar to the establishment where they are located.

Whether the user is on a laptop or smartphone, when accessing a free wireless they are often presented with a list of available networks. Since it’s originating from the hacker’s computer just a few feet away, the Evil Twin network will often be a stronger connection and at the top of the list. Coupled with a legitimate-sounding network name, it’s a natural choice for the victim’s access point.

Once they are using the Evil Twin, all the business they conduct is eavesdropped on. Emails, log on names and passwords, credit card purchases. The con man might as well be standing over the victim’s shoulder and taking notes. They can watch and even re-direct the user to dummy websites without their knowledge.

For example, if you are surfing the internet and go to log into your online bank page, the hacker can have a dummy page set up that looks exactly the same. Even though you accessed the link via your list of favorites, instead of going to chase.com you will unknowingly be re-directed to chase1.com. If you don’t realize and enter your log in information, the hacker now has whatever you enter into any forms.

The number of Evil Twin attacks is rising, but it’s hard to gauge the numbers. Most who offer free wireless hotspots are ignorant of the attacks. Even if they are aware, advertising just how vulnerable their location might be is not good for business, and they choose not to report. Victims often don’t even realize themselves that they have had their information stolen, as the hackers will often wait to utilize the data they’ve gleaned making them nearly impossible to catch.

Stay Alert

The scammers are counting on the fact that you are in a public place and surrounded by the distractions therein to take advantage. They are hoping you aren’t paying the attention to details like you would at home. Here are some ways to stay protected:

Dialog Boxes: Your computer or phone will often let you know if the site you are visiting is unencrypted. Pay attention to these warnings. In the past you might have gotten a similar warning and checked the box saying never remind me again. If you checked that box, you might be at risk and should consider reloading your browser software.

Don’t share your business: Try not to conduct any online business in public that you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with others. If the idea of perusing your bank account with someone watching over your shoulder bothers you, then the safest bet is to save this business for when you are at home.

Web Only Credit Card: If you find yourself making a lot of online purchases it might be a good idea to apply for and set up a credit card account solely for this purpose. It could be an account you could monitor regularly online, and be prepared to close on short notice if you’ve been hacked.

Wireless Setting: Many laptops and smartphones are set to automatically seek and hook up to the strongest available wireless connection. This is money in the bank to someone trying an Evil Twin attack. Always choose your connection manually and look at the names. If you aren’t sure of the connections authenticity, check with the establishment where you are located. They will know which wireless connections are actually their own and which are not legitimate.

We are living in an exciting new age of information access and personal convenience. As these systems continue growing and evolving, those who utilize them present particularly inviting targets for the most cunning of con artists. Don’t be fooled into a false sense of security, because in the majority of cases we really can protect ourselves. As with all scams, awareness of the situation and applying a bit of common sense goes a long way towards avoiding being victimized.

The 14th day of February. Valentine’s Day. Romantics view the day as a chance to shower their soul mate with love. Sweet words, sentimental cards, elaborate gifts and restaurant reservations are employed by both the committed and those looking to make a love connection. Cynics view it as another example of our over-commercialized society hijacking something that should be expressed much more often and freely.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of scam artists who view Valentine’s Day as just another opportunity to fleece those who are willing to open up their hearts and wallets.

If you plan on celebrating Valentine’s Day this year, here are a few popular scams you’d be wise to be aware of:
FAKE VALENTINE ECARDS – You’ve probably gotten one of these in the past. As our time online has increased through the years, so too has there been an explosion in online greeting cards. These electronic greetings contain text, images, and even customizable movies; they are being swapped between friends, family members and business associates.

The con artists love to exploit emerging trends, and Valentine’s Day is prime territory.

Most electronic greeting cards will arrive via an email informing you that you have a card waiting at greeting card site. A link will be provided for you for that site, and when clicked it will send you to the waiting card. But if you click, beware. You might be getting much more than a seasonal greeting.

The Valentine’s card might appear amusing at first, but the laughter won’t last long. The ecard scam cons victims by placing a malicious link in the email. When clicked, it sends the users browser to an exploitive server. After guaranteeing the potential victim doesn’t have the proper patches in the browsing software, the scammers forcibly load a rootkit and a keystroke logger. Then the victim is sent to the legitimate-appearing greeting card.

A rootkit is software which obscures the fact that your computer has been compromised. Keystroke software is exactly what it sounds like, a way the scammer’s can record every keystroke you make and then divine from the information every user name, password, credit card number, bank account number, social security number or any personal information you enter. If you type it, they now have access to it.

On the user’s end, nothing appears out of the ordinary. An email arrived asking them to check out a Valentine’s Day greeting, they clicked on the link, noticed it wasn’t actually sent by someone they recognized and then closed the card without realizing their identity and financial information was at risk.

Many of these initial emails will be vague, almost coy. A “business associate”, or “family member”, or “close friend” has sent you a Valentine and it can be easily accessed by clicking on the provided link. Never click through on emails from unidentified sources.

Even if it comes from a known person, be wary. Your friend or relative might have been the victim of a virus. They opened the card, had the malware unknowingly loaded, then the virus re-sent the bait to everyone in their address book. It would be wise to go directly to the publishing site the card is supposed to have come from and access it there. Otherwise, contact the sender and make sure they sent the card out. If they were the victim of a self-sustaining virus, they might not even realize the fake cards have been sent in their name.

FLOWER FRAUD – Be careful when ordering flowers online. There are numerous websites which claim to be local florists offering great deals, but in reality they are call centers who will see to it that most of the money you spend goes directly into their own pocket.

Many of these companies advertise on Google under such names as Flowershopers.com or Petalsforless.com and the like. They claim to be located in whatever area you are looking to have flowers delivered. This is a blatant falsehood. What you are getting is a call center with only one location.

You place your order with this call center. You see pictures of the flower arrangement online, or hear a description of what you are purchasing over the phone. You want spend $100, included in which is a reasonable-sounding $12.50 shipping and delivery fee. You feel satisfied with the purchase. Don’t expect the flowers you ordered to necessarily be what shows up on the doorstep.

There is another hidden fee, called a relay fee. The company you are calling is simply going to contact a local florist in the area you are having flowers delivered and place the order for you. They are going to take this “relay fee’ out of the money you intended to spend on an arrangement and forward it directly to their bank account. All the while counting on the fact you won’t actually see what the final arrangement looks like. Instead of the $100 you thought was being spent on the flowers, only $70-60 is actually used, the rest being pocketed by the shady company. This can result in a significantly different floral arrangement than what the customer is led to believe they are purchasing.

When ordering flowers, stick to the big boys, well-known companies with a long track-record of satisfied customers, or consider locating a local florist and order from the store directly after confirming they are physically located in the town where you are having the flowers sent.

PHISHING SCAMS – Valentine’s Day is a popular time for phishing scams because of the high volume of online orders. The scammers send out phony emails with bogus claims that the flowers, candy or cards you sent are being held for deliver. A link is provided which directs the victim to a legitimate-looking website where they are asked to enter in their credit card information for verification before the items in question are released for delivery.

These mass spam emails are often sent blindly, and you can easily recognize them if you haven’t actually placed an order. But their intended targets are those victims who maybe aren’t used to ordering online, and have done so especially for Valentine’s Day. These newbies are much more likely to fall for this type of scam.

If you get this email, never use the link without first calling the seller, florist or company in question on the telephone and verifying if there is any issue. If it looks sketchy, it probably is a scam.

JEWELRY – Starting in the 80’s, the diamond industry began promoting Valentine’s Day as a perfect time to give your loved one jewelry. Thirty years later this has become something of a tradition for some revelers, and represents a growing opportunity for scammers.

There are ubiquitous ads these days, particularly online, offering jewelry at ridiculous prices. “$10,000 diamonds for $500.” Don’t fall for the hype. These ads really proliferate around Valentine’s Day when the market for jewelry is particularly hot.

It’s an easy scam to sell worthless goods to uneducated customers. Doing business electronically makes it even easier. The photos might look great, but chances are you aren’t getting a real diamond, and that gold is probably not 24 karats.

When purchasing jewelry it is always best to do so in person. Buy from someone respected, preferably with bone fide recommendations. Always make these purchases with a credit card; this is your best chance for refuting the charge and getting your money back.
These are just a few of the scams to look out for this Valentine’s Day. Be alert, be smart, and think things through. Make sure the person you are making the happiest on this holiday is the one you love – not some pathetic scam artist who’s wallet you helped fill.

Dr John Siebert was canned and kicked out of virtually every New York Hospital that Siebert was affiliated. Siebert was found to be a sex pervert by NYU/Langone Hospital after extensive hearings where Joseph M. Burke/Russo & Burke represented Siebert the ‘proved sex vulture’. Then Siebert was fired from Lenox Hill Hospital and then from Manhattan Eye and Ear Hospital all for sexual perversions, and narcotics abuses.

Then Siebert was evicted from 4 or 5 medical offices where Siebert occupied space. The charges ranged from sex abuse, narcotics abuse, molesting patients and co-workers to illegal occupancy at 875 Park Avenue, frauds and delinquency in paying rents.

Siebert was essentially evicted out of New York, and was found to have perjured himself and engaged in collusion and Courthouse corruption.

Siebert has stolen a fortune in moneys he unconditionally agreed to pay—-and as a documented thief found his way to UW Hospital in Madison Wiss.

UW Hospital were lied to as to Siebert’s disgusting trail of thefts, molestings and being fired from other Hospitals in NYC. Now UW Hospital is on to Siebert and we are told that his days at UW Hospital are numbered.

Siebert is such a sociopath and thief that he has defrauded many with false and fake internet adds concocting phony positions in a scheme to lure innocent patient-victims. Siebert’s adds were stopped by informants.——-Stay tuned for more on Siebert and his sociopathic crusade and sex perversions, perjury, thefts and corruption.

The holiday season is an often chaotic and stressful time. People are rushing out to shop, spending their money more freely than probably any other time of year, trying to get their hands on great gifts and deals, giving to charity, and generally being caught up in the excitement of the season. This excitement often leads to disctraction, which could make you a target for any of the many holiday-related scams and schemes out there.

First of all, there is the “high-pressure sale”, which is perfectly legal, but can still lead to foolish decisions and regrets. We’ve all been pressured by a salesperson before, with phrases like “If you’re buying these curtains, you really need the matching area rug. There’s only one left, and we probably won’t restock it”, and “You need this shampoo and conditioner to keep the color in your hair, I’ll add it to your bill”. Now, in your normal, everyday shopping you would probably have the sense to politely refuse these things if you didn’t feel that you needed them, or felt you couldn’t afford them. Around the holidays though, especially if the things we’re buying are gifts, we may get suckered in to buying extra or unnecessary items after a few convincing or urgent words from a salesperson. Watch out for these high-pressure sales that will warn you that “there is only one left” or offer you “a special deal”. Try to stick to what you originally planned to buy and not fall into these traps that will convince you that you need more – your bank balance will thank you! Also, keep in mind that around the holidays, everyone wants more money, and many salespeople work on commission, so don’t be so sure that they have your best interests in mind when trying to give you that “great deal”.

This time of year, malls and stores are crowded with busy shoppers. You’re probably busy juggling several shopping bags, plus personal items like a purse, wallet, keys, etc. You are also probably paying more attention to your shopping list than you are to the people around you. It’s easy to get flustered and overwhelmed as you plod through the stores and try to get in and out as quickly as possible. What you should do, is take your time and pay attention. It’s very easy to lose track of your items. Maybe you set your bags down so you could look at something on a sale’s rack, or put your wallet or cell phone on the table while catching a quick bite to eat at the food court. All it takes is a few minutes for these items to be lost or stolen by opportunistic thieves just waiting for all the distracted busy people, who may neglect their personal items, or who may not realize that one of their shopping bags has gone missing. Help yourself out by making regular trips to your car to drop off the excess baggage – put your bags in the truck where they’ll be locked up out of sight, and then go back for more. Not only will that reduce the chance of losing track of things, but it’ll make you more comfortable too. Keep your personal items like your wallet, keys, and cell phone safe by keeping them in a closed purse, or in a front pocket. Remember that old-fashioned pick-pockets can be lurking in these crowds too, and with a little slight of hand, can easily help themselves to anything in your back pocket or in an open purse. In a busy mall, you may not think twice about someone bumping into you until you realize you’re missing something, and by then, it will likely be too late to know who took it. Be alert when you brave the stores and malls this season and watch out for the unexpected!

You may think that doing your holiday shopping online is the safer, less stressful bet, and it’s true that it can be, but the internet is fraught with scams and cons. There are countless internet scams out there, but one that online buyers should be especially wary of this time of year is online auction scams. Maybe you’ll come across someone selling this year’s hottest, must-have toy or accesory and decide that you need to have it. You get caught up in a bidding war and end up paying way more than you wanted to in order to beat out the competition. Feeling smug about your winning bid, you wait for your item to arrive. When it does however, it isn’t what you expected. Maybe it’s an older version of what you thought you were getting, or a designer jacket that turned out to be for a doll instead of a person. Even worse, it could not arrive at all. The trouble with online auction sites is that many of the sellers are simply individuals that you do not know – not any sort of reputable retailer or business. When buying online, stick to trusted sites and companies and avoid dealing with any one person.

Another very popular holiday scam is the “Name a Star” scam. You may have even seen commercials on tv advertising these sorts of scams. They will lure you in with a line like “What could be more special than naming a star after your beloved?” You can then pay up to $150 to “name a star”, and the company will send you a certificate showing the coordinates of your newly named star, and promise that it will be entered into a “star registry”. Sounds magical, doesn’t it? Well, the main problem with this “gift” is that stars are named by the International Astronomical Union, and these names (which are usually numbers) are assigned based on IAU internationally accepted rules. Adding your star to a “registry” means adding it to a made up registry that is not in any way recognized by astronomers, which means there won’t be any scientific data published about that “Grandma Edith” star you “named”, because the entire thing is bogus. The IAU’s website says, “”such ‘names’ have no formal or official validity whatever. Like true love and many of the other best things in human life, the beauty of the night sky is not for sale, but is free for all to enjoy.” Save your money and print your own star-naming certificate, because it means just as much as going through one of these companies, and costs a lot less.

These are just a few things to watch out for as the holiday season swings into full gear. It may be a crazy and stressful time of year, but don’t let it become more costly than it needs to be. Stay alert, stay smart, and try to keep things simple. Instead of getting carried away, celebrate the true spirit of the season with togetherness, warm wishes, and holiday peace.